Input device with an accelerometer

ABSTRACT

Methods, devices, and systems are described for bumping a mobile device, such as a smart phone, against a fixed poster board display at a store to initiate a download of coupons, advertisements, or other benefits to the mobile device. Products can be rated by a user&#39;s up/down bump or other bump patterns. Using accelerometer-based inertial measurements, multiple users can control multiple mouse cursors on a large display with their mobile devices in order to select information to be downloaded to their mobile devices. The multiple users can bump the display in order to select their items simultaneously.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 12/954,111, filed Nov. 24, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application No. 61/264,543, filed Nov. 25, 2009 (AttorneyDocket No. 016222-056900US), and U.S. Provisional Application No.61/264,983, filed Nov. 30, 2009 (Attorney Docket No. 016222-057000US).The applications above are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Art

Generally, systems and methods are disclosed for physically bumping amobile device against another device to transfer information. Morespecifically, methods and systems are disclosed for multiple users usingtheir own mobile devices to select coupons or other items for downloadon a shared-cursor store display.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

Users have become more dependent on their cellular phones, portablemusic players, handheld global positioning system (GPS) devices,personal digital assistants, and other mobile devices. Manufacturershave combined functions of once-distinct electronic devices into somemobile devices. Many mobile devices can map where a user is currentlylocated and offer directions to where he or she wishes to go, connectthe user to the Internet, and/or store calendar reminders and shoppinglists. Entertainment, such as songs, videos, and video games, areplayable on some mobile devices so that a user does not get bored whilewaiting for others. The various features of mobile devices have foundtheir way into both business and personal consumer devices.

Along with users' increased dependencies on mobile devices comesincreased expectations of how and where they can be used. Retail storesand service centers have recognized that displaying their locationsprominently on Internet-available electronic maps to which users haveaccess on their mobile devices can help increase traffic to theirstores. Once a customer is at a store, however, there is little, if any,interaction between the customer and the store through the user's mobiledevice. Instead, store displays among its aisles and cash registers takeup the user's view. There are only so many locations to promote thestore's wares without saturating the view.

The inventors of the present application recognize a need in the art forfurther interaction with users on their mobile devices as the usersapproach a store or are browsing inside a store.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure generally relates to methods, devices, andsystems for users to “bump” their mobile phone against an advertisementfor an item on an active electronic poster board display at a store andreceive a coupon or other benefit on the phone for the item. The posterboard can be divided into several squares, each having its ownadvertisement and corresponding bump sensor.

After a bump, a coupon can be sent via a text message to the phone, forexample. The coupon can appear on the phone via a short message service(SMS) text message in the form of a coupon code or a multimediamessaging service (MMS) message in the form of a bar code, the bar codebeing scannable from the mobile device's screen into a common cashregister/terminal scanner.

The present disclosure also relates to methods, devices, and systems forusers to bump their mobile phones against an interactive advertisementto rate a product or offer feedback on their like or dislike of theproduct or service. For example, a store display can ask users to bumpthe store display with their cell phones if they like or dislike theproduct. Bumping upward can indicate a thumbs up; bumping downward canindicate a thumbs down. Multiple bumps can indicate the intensity of thelike or dislike of the product.

The present disclosure also relates to methods, devices, and systems forusers to bump their mobile phones against an interactive map of thestore such that the locations of items on a shopping list on theirmobile phones are displayed on the map. An optimal route to pick up theitems may be displayed as well. The map with displayed locations ofitems can be downloaded to the mobile phone.

The present disclosure also relates to methods, devices, and systems forusers to use their own mobile devices as pointers on a large, sharedscreen. For example, multiple users can vote via their own ‘mouse’pointer on the screen, controlled by their cell phone, for certainproducts. Users can also indicate, using their ‘mouse’ pointer on thelarge screen shared by others, that they wish to download or uploadinformation.

An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure relates to amethod of bumping a mobile device to obtain a benefit, the methodincluding receiving a first message from a mobile device, the firstmessage indicating a bump sensed by an accelerometer coupled to themobile device, receiving a second message from a second device, thesecond message indicating a bump sensed by the second device, temporallycorrelating the messages from the mobile and second devices as an event,determining a benefit associated with the second device, and sending thebenefit to the mobile device based on the event.

An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure relates to amethod of recording the bumping of a mobile device, the method includingreceiving a first message from a mobile device, the first messageindicating a bump sensed by an accelerometer coupled to the mobiledevice, receiving a second message from a second device displaying abenefit, the second message indicating a bump sensed by the seconddevice, temporally correlating the messages from the mobile and seconddevices as an event, and recording the event. The method can allow forfuture analysis of a consumer's acknowledgement of the benefit, such asan advertisement, or a vote up or down associated with a displayedadvertisement.

The method can further include receiving a user's list of products, suchas a shopping list, from the mobile device based on the event, lookingup information (such as the location in a store) about each product inthe list of products, and sending the information about each product.

An embodiment in accordance with the present disclosure relates to amethod of sharing a display to receive a benefit. The method includesreceiving a first pointer location on a fixed display from a firstmobile device, receiving a second pointer location on the fixed displayfrom a second mobile device, displaying simultaneously a first cursor atthe first pointer location and a second cursor at the second pointerlocation, receiving a selection indicator from the first mobile device,and recording a selection based on the selection indicator and the firstpointer location. The method can allow for future analysis of a user'sselection on the fixed display.

Other embodiments relate to machine-readable tangible storage media andcomputer systems which employ or store instructions for the methodsdescribed above.

A further understanding of the nature and the advantages of theembodiments disclosed and suggested herein may be realized by referenceto the remaining portions of the specification and the attacheddrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a store's map being bumped by a mobile device inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a poster board display being bumped by a mobiledevice in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates active poster board sensors connected with a systemin accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates correlation server processing in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a store survey display in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates a smart phone with a bump intensity application inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates pointers on a shared store display in accordance withan embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a portable consumer device inaccordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer apparatus thatcan be used in some embodiments.

The figures will now be used to illustrate different embodiments inaccordance with the invention. The figures are specific examples ofembodiments and should not be interpreted as limiting embodiments, butrather exemplary forms and procedures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally, the present disclosure relates to methods and associatedsoftware, firmware, and/or hardware for bumping or otherwise physicallyinteracting one's smart phone or other mobile device with a storedisplay in order to download a coupon, advertisement, or other benefitto the mobile device or record the interaction for later analysis orcredit. For example, a consumer can walk up to an advertising display ata store and bump his or her cell phone against the display to instantlyand automatically download a coupon to the cell phone. The coupon can besent to the cell phone via an SMS message, so as to give a text/numericcoupon code to read to a cashier at checkout, an MMS message with a barcode coupon that can be scanned at checkout, email, or other means.

A server in a back office of the store or other location can temporallyand/or geographically correlate a bump sensed by an accelerometer in themobile device with one sensed by an accelerometer, pressure transducer,or other sensor on the store display. The server can send a message witha coupon, advertisement, or other benefit to the mobile device while theuser continues perusing the store.

An alternate embodiment includes a large display store map upon which ashopper's mobile device, which stores his or her shopping list, isbumped. The map then displays locations of his or her items in the storefor the convenience of the shopper. An efficient route to pick up allthe items can be displayed. The map can be downloaded onto the mobiledevice so that the shopper has it with him when walking around thestore. Coupons, advertisements, or other benefits can be flashed on themobile device's screen, urging the user to purchase brand-name productson the list or different, competing products on the list.

Another embodiment includes a product display that encourages a user tobump the product display with her or her mobile device in order to ratethe product. The product display includes accelerometers, transducers,or other sensors to sense the bump. The product can be rated by thenumber of times a user bumps the display with the mobile device, theintensity of the bump, a particular bump pattern, the direction of thebump, or other factors.

Yet another embodiment includes a fixed store display in which two ormore users can use their own mobile devices as device pointers tocontrol respective cursors on the display. The cursors can beindependently operated by different, unrelated users to rate products,download coupons, display information, or select other options on thedisplay. Screens on the input devices themselves can show the downloadedcoupons, product information, etc. The fixed store display can show astatic image that does not change when selections are made, or it maychange based on users selections.

Technical advantages of the embodiments include novel interaction with ashopper at a store in a format that is intuitive, personal, andoriginal. A store can have only so many advertising displays before itsaisles are saturated and the consumer ignores them. In contrast, anadvertisement or coupon on the user's personal mobile device can beeffective in gaining the user's attention and interest. Furthermore, theadvertisement on the mobile device's screen can be animated. The storedoes not need to have its own large-format, expensive active displayssuspended where everyone can see them. The store leverages theprocessing power, display area, and personal nature of each consumer'smobile device in order to advertise. Furthermore, a consumer mightalready be accessing his or her mobile device as he or she approaches orenters the store, so further interaction with the mobile device relatingto what the consumer is there to purchase may be welcomed by theconsumer. An encouragement to physically interact with a display usingthe phone can be beneficial to the user. It can provide savings in theform of coupons as well as be beneficial to the store to gatherinformation on consumers' product interests. Share displays can lessenthe number of displays that a store needs to purchase for interactiveadvertising. One big display from which many users can download coupons,etc. may be easier to service than many small displays. Suspending thedisplay away up high away from shoppers' hands (e.g., above 8 feet offthe floor) while making mouse cursors available to be controlled byuser's own cell phones can limit wear and tear, and vandalism, of thedisplays.

Terms

A “bump” includes a event in which a device is physically contactedagainst or near another device such that a sensor in at least one of thedevices detects that physical movement. A bump of one device againstanother can include indirect physical contact near the other device suchthat it can be reasonably inferred that interaction between the twodevices was intended. The first device can record first interaction datarepresentative of the movement of the first device towards a seconddevice using an accelerometer or sensor. The second device may recordsecond interaction data representative of movement of the second devicetowards the first device using a second accelerometer or sensor.

A “poster display” includes a display that is accessible or otherwiseviewable to display information, such as advertising, product details,etc. A poster display may be in a large format, such as 2′×3′ or 4′×8′,medium, such as 8½″×11″, small, such as 3″×5″ coupon size, or othersizes. The display may be shown at the front of a store, near a product,near a checkout, or otherwise in a location viewable to consumers.

A “multiple bump pattern” includes a pattern of relativelyclosely-spaced-in-time bumps by one device, such as three bumps insuccession, a Morse code pattern, etc.

The bumps may be against one object or against different objects.Multiple bumps can be within 1, 2, 5, or more seconds of one another.

A “bump direction” is direction(s) that a mobile device moves during abump or an orientation(s) that a mobile device is in during the bump.For example, a bump may be left-to-right or right-to-left. As anotherexample, a mobile device can be bumped upside down to indicate a ‘thumbsdown’ for a product, or a mobile device can be bumped right-side up toindicate a ‘thumbs up.’

A “selection indicator” includes an indication of a mouse click, anenter key depression, or other indication of a selection.

A “cursor” includes a mouse pointer, text cursor, non-gray focusindicator, or other cursor as is known in the art of computer displays.

A “product indicator” can include a name of a product or service,universal product code (UPC), common or generic name, etc.

“Nearly simultaneously” includes times that are reasonably near in time,such as within 1, 5, 30, 60, or more seconds of each other.

Shopping List Items On Store Map

FIG. 1 illustrates a map being bumped by a mobile device in accordancewith an embodiment. Map bump system 100 includes active store display102 with map 104. Store display 102 has pressure sensors that can detectwhen an object knocks, rubs, thumps, or otherwise bumps against itssurface.

Consumer 108 has his own smart phone 110. Consumer 108 has entered hisown shopping list 112 into smart phone 110. A shopping list can betyped, scanned from product bar codes at home, or otherwise entered ontosmart phone 110. Smart phone 110 may keep a list of recurring items thatthe user buys frequently, such as milk or favorite cereals, in theshopping list. In the figure, consumer 108 takes smart phone 110,enables a shopping list ‘bump’ application on it, and bumps the smartphone against active store display 102. Eight items on shopping list 112appear as icons 106 in their respective locations on map 104.

Icons 106 can indicate not only where the shopping list items arelocated, but also if there are any items left in stock on the shelf. Forexample, a grayed out icon can indicate that the store normally stocksthe item but that the store is out of stock of the item. Otherindicators, such as colors, blinking or flashing icons, etc. canindicate items that are on sale, are competitor or genericallyequivalent products, etc. Icons can include trademarks and/or servicemarks that may be readily associated by shoppers to particular items.

Symbiotic products to those on the shopping list can be displayed on themap. For example, if peanut butter is on the shopping list, then iconsfor jelly or bread can be shown in their respective locations. Similarlogic can be applied for items that a consumer might need based onmultiple items on the list. For example, if mosquito repellant,batteries, and trail mix are on the list, it may be determined that theuser is going camping. Because the user is going camping, iconspertaining to firewood, extra flashlight bulbs, and s'mores supplies canbe displayed on the map.

Items on the shopping list that are not found can be indicated by iconsoutside of the map or on the margins of the map. A database may storethe names of such items for further analysis by the store. If enoughpeople request the same item, then the store may wish to stock the itemregularly on its shelves.

Poster Display

FIG. 2 illustrates a poster display being bumped by a mobile device inaccordance with an embodiment. Poster board display system 200 includesstore display 202 with advertisements 214 listing the departments of ado-it-yourself hardware store. Advertisements 214 each have their ownarea on the poster board with corresponding pressure switches. In thefigure, consumer 208 takes mobile device 210, enables a ‘bump’application on mobile device 210, and bumps the mobile device againstthe desired advertisement in order to download to mobile device 210information on sales in the selected department. For example, anadvertisement downloaded to the phone could include a ‘new low price’for redwood fence posts or sheets of mold-resistant drywall.

Exemplary store display 202 includes a simple paper/cardboard stockcovering sensors beneath; however, such a display can include an active,touch-sensitive display screen. With a touch sensitive screen,advertisements can be reconfigured without printing onto paper stock andwithout the labor of tacking up the paper stock to the display andtesting.

In some embodiments, a randomly selected advertisement can be sent froman advertisement pool to a mobile device. For example, a first hit ofthe store display can give the consumer a first coupon on his or herphone, and a second hit can give the consumer a different coupon. Boththe first and second coupons are selected from a pool of a dozen or soadvertisements, coupons, or other benefits. Coupon pools can bedifferent sizes and actively managed to keeping out coupons that areirrelevant to particular shoppers. For example, if it is known that ashopper does not have small children, then diapers, baby bottles, andother supplies for small children can be excluded from a healthaccessories pool.

FIG. 3 illustrates active poster board sensors connected with a systemin accordance with an embodiment. System 300 includes store display 202,shown in the figure without the covering paper stock of advertisements.Store display 202 includes pressure sensors 316. Other sensors can beused, such as but not limited to resistive or capacitive touch screens,accelerometers, infrared transducers, etc. Pressure sensors 316 sense abump event against their related rectangles on the store display.

Sensors 316 are coupled to analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 318, whichtakes in analog voltages or currents from the sensors and digitizesthem. A/D converter 318 is operatively coupled to local processor 320,which in turn is connected to Internet 324. Other networks, such asintranets, virtual private networks (VPNs), etc. can also be used toconnect the various devices of the system. Advertisement database 322 isalso connected to the Internet and can be accessed by local processor320. Correlation server 326, also connected through the Internet, issynchronized to absolute time clock 328. Absolute time clock 328 may bean Internet-accessible clock, or it can be accessible directly by localprocessor 320 and smart phone 310. Smart phone 310 is wirelessly coupledto the other devices through the Internet.

When a user bumps smart phone 310 against store display 202, therespective pressure sensor 316 sends an analog signal to A/D converter318. A/D converter 318 converts the analog signal to a digital form, andthe digital signal is read by local processor 320 to create a bump eventcorresponding to a particular advertisement. Local processor 320 sendsthe bump event to correlation server 326. Meanwhile, smart phone 310,reading its own accelerometers and sensing a bump event, sends a bumpevent to correlation server 326.

Correlation server 326 matches the bump event from local processor 320to the bump event from smart phone 310. The match can occur by matchingabsolute times, geographic position, etc. Once the events arecorrelated, an applicable advertisement, coupon, or other benefit isselected from advertisement database 322 and sent to smart phone 310.Smart phone 310 can then display the benefit to the user who bumped hisor her smart phone against the display.

FIG. 4 illustrates correlation server processing in accordance with anembodiment. Processing 400 begins in part with a bump detected at astore display. Bump event message 430 from the store display, whichincludes information on the absolute time, geo-location, identificationof the bumped device, and area bumped on the bumped device, is generatedby a processor. Meanwhile, bump event message 432 from the mobiledevice, which includes information on the absolute time, geo-location,and identification of the bumping device, is generated by a processor inthe mobile device. Both bump event message 430 from the store displayand bump event message 432 from the mobile device are sent tocorrelation server 326.

Correlation server 326 matches the bump events by temporally matchingthe absolute times as well as matching the approximate geo-locations. Inthe exemplary embodiment, the bump events are different in their timestamps by only 0.016 seconds. In some real-world situations, time stampsmay be different by much greater time differentials, such as 1, 5, 15,or more seconds due to clock drift, bump measurement eccentricities, andother timing errors. Because the bump events are nearly at the same timeas one another and below a threshold, they are temporally correlated.

Correlation server 326 can also match the bump events by matching thegeo-location. In the exemplary situation, latitude and longitudedifferences between the devices are substantial but within tolerancesallowed by the correlation server.

After bump events are matched, correlation server 326 sends request 436to advertisement database 322. Request 436 requests a sale advertisementfor the particular portion (i.e., area 4) of the store display that wasbumped by the user.

Based on the request, advertisement database 322 returnsadvertisement-coupon 438 to correlation server 326. Advertisement-coupon438 includes bar code 444 that can be scanned at checkout. Theadvertisements and coupons in database 322 can be stored as bitmaps orother pictures, simple text, etc.

MMS text message module 434 of correlation server 326 re-formats and/orpackages coupon 438 for sending in a text message. Text message module434 also looks up the telephone number of the mobile device from themobile device's device code in message 432. Text message module 434 thensends the re-formatted/packaged coupon to the telephone number.

Smart phone 310, after receiving the text message, displays coupon 438on its screen as an MMS text message. The message is displayed with‘store’ button 440 and ‘delete’ button 442 so that a user canconveniently store or delete the coupon as he or she desires.

In-Store Survey

FIG. 5 illustrates a store survey display in accordance with anembodiment. Store survey display 546 includes advertising prompt 550 forpassers by to rate a product. Display 546 includes bump-sensitive area548.

Bump-sensitive area 548 can sense how hard a user bumps a mobile deviceagainst it. The harder the tap, the greater value coupon that can betexted to the phone. For example, a slight tap can give a 50-centdiscount, while a harder thump can give a $1.00 discount. Bump-sensitivearea 548 can be fitted with foam so as to minimize damage to a user'sphone, and the store display, to excessive hits.

A bump-sensitive area can have directional bump sensors so that thestore display can determine whether the bump was upward, downward,left-to-right, etc. A sign may indicate that an upward bump by a user'smobile phone votes that the product is well received (thumbs up), and adownward bump votes that the product is poorly received (thumbs down).Alternatively, the mobile device itself can determine the intensityand/or direction of a bump. Multiple bumps up from the same phone canindicate that the users very much likes the product. Bumps in an ‘X’pattern can indicate that the user vehemently dislikes the product.Other patterns can be used. For example, musical notes can be displayed,and when the user hits the notes, the product's jingle is played onspeakers from the store display.

FIG. 6 illustrates a smart phone with a bump intensity application inaccordance with an embodiment. Smart phone 610 executes a bumpapplication that displays a prompt 648 asking a user to bump the phoneproportionally to how much he or she likes a product. Upon striking thedevice against a surface, meter 650 displays the intensity of the hit.Other variations of bumping devices can be implemented.

Applications can prompt the user to bump the phone at an exact, targetintensity. Bumping too softly or too hard may not be registered as abump, but a bump at the correct intensity can properly initiate adownload of an advertisement or coupon.

Bump directions and bump patterns can be registered by a mobile devicein conjunction with certain store displays. Bump directions and patternscan be used to minimize false alarms and unwanted downloading of couponsif, for instance, a store display is accidentally bumped by a usercarrying a phone. For example, three taps of the phone against thedisplay in quick succession can indicate one bump event for the purposesof downloading an advertisement, coupon, or other benefit. As anotherexample, a bump up followed by a bump from left-to-right can indicateone bump event.

Secret bump patterns that are known by mavens of a product or otherserious users can be utilized for extra points towards coupons,advertising materials, etc. For example, a child can learn from atelevision advertisement during Saturday morning cartoons that thesecret pattern for a particular cereal is up, up, down, right. Whenshopping with his parents and passing a display in a store, the childcan tap the secret pattern with his or her phone on the store display.In response, a special, bonus coupon can be sent to the child's phone.The child can then present the coupon on the phone to his parents inorder to convince them to buy the advertised cereal.

Purchase Transaction

After coupons, nutritional information, price information, or othermerchant-provided data have been exchanged, a financial transaction maybe conducted. In some embodiments, the financial transaction is based onsubsequent physical interactions between a consumer's mobile device anda merchant's terminal with an accelerometer (e.g., POS terminal). Inother embodiments, no subsequent physical interaction is required toengage in a financial transaction, and the transaction may be conductedbased on a prior interaction.

Financial transactions between two devices with accelerometers aredescribed in U.S. application Ser. No. 12/952,811 (Attorney Docket No.016222-056910US), titled “Transaction Using a Mobile Device With anAccelerometer,” filed on Nov. 23, 2010, and U.S. application Ser. No.12/953,368 (Attorney Docket No. 016222-056920US), titled “InteractionTerminal,” filed on Nov. 23, 2010. These applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entireties for all purposes.

For example, a customer's mobile device with an accelerometer (or othermotion/pressure sensors) may be used to conduct a financial transactionby making physical contact with a merchant's terminal. The customer'smobile device may be a mobile phone or any other mobile device suitablefor the customer to carry on his or her person. The merchant's terminalmay be a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, personal data assistant(PDA), tablet, handheld device, etc. In other embodiments, themerchant's terminal may be stationary, such as a point of sale (POS)terminal, automated teller machine (ATM), electronic cash register(ECR), kiosk, ticket selling/dispensing terminal, vending machine,magnetic stripe reader device, personal computer, etc.

When the customer's mobile device makes physical contact with amerchant's terminal, interaction data (e.g., accelerometer data,location data, time data) is generated. The interaction data generatedby each of the customer's mobile device and merchant's terminal isrepresentative of the physical contact. That is, first interaction datais generated by the mobile device based on the external forces appliedto the mobile device. Second interaction data is generated by themerchant terminal based on the external forces applied to the merchantterminal.

A server computer determines, based on the first and second interactiondata, that the customer's mobile device and the merchant's terminal madephysical contact and interacted. In other embodiments, a processorassociated with the merchant's terminal (rather than, or in combinationwith, the remote server computer) may determine, based on first andsecond interaction data, that the mobile device and the merchantterminal made physical contact and interacted.

The server or merchant's terminal may determine that the customer'smobile device and the merchant's terminal made physical contact by usinga pairing algorithm. The pairing algorithm analyzes and matchesinteraction data to determine whether two devices physically interacted.The server or merchant's terminal may receive and analyze anycombination of accelerometer, location, time, and other data. If theaccelerometer, location, and/or time data from the customer's mobiledevice and the merchant's terminal matches, the pairing algorithm canconclude with sufficient certainty that the devices interacted. If anyor all of the accelerometer, location, and time data from the customer'smobile device and the merchant's terminal are sufficiently similar, itcan be concluded that the customer's mobile device interacted with themerchant's terminal and that the customer and the merchant intend toconduct a financial transaction. The pairing algorithm can analyze theinteraction data in any suitable order. Any combination of interactiondata may be analyzed, including time data, location data, oraccelerometer data.

After determining that the customer's mobile device and the merchant'sterminal made contact, communications that relate to payment processingmay be initiated between the devices. The payment processing may includethe sending of an authorization request message and authorizationresponse message through a payment processing network. The paymentprocessing network can contain payment authorization, clearing, andsettlement services. At the end of the day, a normal clearing andsettlement process can be conducted by the payment processing network. Aclearing process is a process of exchanging financial details between anacquirer and an issuer to facilitate posting to a consumer's account andreconciliation of the consumer's settlement position. For example,VisaNet™ may be used to process a Visa transaction between the operatorsof a mobile device and a merchant terminal. The payment processingnetwork may communicate with a plurality of issuer, acquirers, andmerchants.

A merchant may have an acquiring bank (i.e., an acquirer), and themerchant's terminal may be in operative communication with theacquirers. A customer may have an issuing bank (i.e., an issuer) thatissued a transaction account that can be used for making payments. Thetransaction account may be linked or otherwise connected to thecustomer's mobile device and/or a different type of portable consumerdevice (e.g., a plastic transaction card). Using the payment processingnetwork, a customer and a merchant may conduct a financial transaction.For example, to receive a payment from a customer, the merchant mayinitiate the sending of an authorization request message by, or through,its acquirer. The acquirer may then forward or send the authorizationrequest message to the issuer associated with the customer's transactionaccount and linked to a mobile device of the customer. The issuer mayapprove or not approve of the transaction and respond with anauthorization response message. The authorization response message maybe sent to the merchant's acquirer and may be forwarded to the merchant.If approved, the transaction is then completed by the merchant andcustomer.

Shared-Cursor Display

FIG. 7 illustrates pointers on a shared store display in accordance withan embodiment. In system 700, fixed store display 702 is available formultiple users to interact with. User 708 uses his smart phone 710 tomove mouse cursor 762 on the display. Simultaneously, user 758 uses hiscell phone 760 to move mouse cursor 764 on the display.

The location on the screen where the mouse cursors are locatedcorrespond to the direction in which each respective mobile device ispointed. This can be determined from accelerometers in each device. Theaccelerometers can determine the orientation of the device with respectto gravity as well as inertially measure their distance from the displaywith a virtual inertial measurement unit (IMU) application that uses theaccelerometers.

A user can initialize his mobile device against the display by bumpingthe top of his or her mobile device against the display or a separatecalibration area. The direction of the maximum spike in acceleration ofthe accelerometers (i.e., toward the top of the mobile device), canindicate the direction the pointing direction of the mobile device. Asthe device is rotated and otherwise reoriented in the user's hands, theaccelerometers measure the angular acceleration, velocity, and angle ofthe mobile device. Additionally, the accelerometers measure linearacceleration, velocity, and position of the mobile device. From thevarious angular and linear accelerations, an IMU in the mobile devicedetects its relative position and orientation from when it bumpedagainst the screen.

The fixed store display also calibrates its position with respect to theinitial bump. The x, y coordinates on the screen where the fixed storedisplay was initially bumped is saved as an initial condition. Directionand relative position of the mobile device are fed to a central server,and the offset from the initial x, y coordinates on the screen arecalculated. A mouse cursor, such as mouse cursor 762, is then displayedon the screen.

The users can slew their respective mouse cursors 762 and 764 over links752, 754, and 756. Selecting a link can be accomplished by pressing an‘enter’ key on a mobile device while its mouse cursor is over a link. Bydoing so, a user can download a coupon to the respective mobile device(e.g., link 752) or download other information to the mobile device(e.g., link 754).

Selecting one of links 756 can allow a user to vote on his or herproduct choice. The number of votes can be tallied and shown immediatelyon display 702. Once a user has voted on his or her favored product,further votes from the same mobile device can be prevented. This is anadvantage over voting schemes that merely have a user touch part of thescreen to vote because the fact that the user's own mobile device votedis recorded.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment. Operations in the flowchart can be performed by a computerprocessor or non-computer mechanisms. The process can be coded insoftware, firmware, or hardware. Process 800 includes operations thatare optional. In operation 802, a first message is received from amobile device, the first message indicating a bump sensed by anaccelerometer coupled to the mobile device. In operation 804, a secondmessage is received from a second device, the second message indicatinga bump sensed by the second device. In operation 806, the messages fromthe mobile and second devices are temporally correlated as an event. Inoperation 808, a benefit, such as an advertisement or coupon, associatedwith the second device is determined. In operation 810, the benefit issent to the mobile device based on the event.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment. Process 900 includes operations that are optional. Inoperation 902, a first message is received from a mobile device, thefirst message indicating a bump sensed by an accelerometer coupled tothe mobile device. In operation 904, a second message is received from asecond device displaying a benefit, the second message indicating a bumpsensed by the second device. In operation 906, the messages from themobile and second devices are temporally correlated as an event. Inoperation 908, the event is recorded. In operation 910, a list ofproducts is received from the mobile device based on the event. Inoperation 912, information about each product in the list of products islooked up. In operation 914, the information about each product isdisplayed on a display.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process in accordance with anembodiment. Process 1000 includes operations that are optional. Inoperation 1002, a first pointer location on a fixed display is receivedfrom a first mobile device. In operation 1004, a second pointer locationon the fixed display is received from a second mobile device. Inoperation 1006, a first cursor at the first pointer location and asecond cursor at the second pointer location are displayedsimultaneously. In operation 1008, a selection indicator is receivedfrom the first mobile device. In operation 1010, a selection based onthe selection indicator and the first pointer location is recorded. Inoperation 1012, information is sent to the first mobile device based onthe selection indicator and the first pointer location.

Hardware And Software

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a portable consumer device or mobiledevice and subsystems that may be present in computer apparatuses insystems according to embodiments.

An exemplary portable consumer device 1140 in the form of a cell phonemay comprise a computer readable medium and a body. The computerreadable medium 1144 may be present within the body of the phone, or maybe detachable from it. The body may be in the form a plastic substrate,housing, or other structure. The computer readable medium 1144 may be amemory that stores data and may be in any suitable form including amagnetic stripe, a memory chip, encryption algorithms, private orprivate keys, etc. The memory also preferably stores information such asfinancial information, transit information (e.g., as in a subway ortrain pass), access information (e.g., as in access badges), etc.Financial information may include information such as bank accountinformation, bank identification number (BIN), credit or debit cardnumber information, account balance information, expiration date,consumer information such as name, date of birth, etc.

Information in the memory may also be in the form of data tracks thatare traditionally associated with credit cards. Such tracks includeTrack 1 and Track 2. Track 1 (“International Air Transport Association”)stores more information than Track 2 and contains the cardholder's nameas well as account number and other discretionary data. This track issometimes used by the airlines when securing reservations with a creditcard. Track 2 (“American Banking Association”) is currently mostcommonly used. This is the track that is read by ATMs and credit cardcheckers. The ABA (American Banking Association) designed thespecifications of this track and all world banks must generally abide byit. It contains the cardholder's account, encrypted PIN, plus otherdiscretionary data.

The portable consumer device 1140 may further include a contactlesselement 1156, which is typically implemented in the form of asemiconductor chip (or other data storage element) with an associatedwireless transfer (e.g., data transmission) element, such as an antenna.Contactless element 1156 is associated with (e.g., embedded within)portable consumer device 1140, and data or control instructionstransmitted via a cellular network may be applied to contactless element1156 by means of a contactless element interface (not shown). Thecontactless element interface functions to permit the exchange of dataand/or control instructions between the mobile device circuitry (andhence the cellular network) and an optional contactless element 1156.

Contactless element 1156 is capable of transferring and receiving datausing a near field communications (“NFC”) capability (or near fieldcommunications medium) typically in accordance with a standardizedprotocol or data transfer mechanism (e.g., ISO 14443/NFC). Near fieldcommunications capability is a short range communications capability,such as RFID, Bluetooth®, infra-red, or other data transfer capabilitythat can be used to exchange data between the portable consumer device640 and an interrogation device. Thus, the portable consumer device 1140is capable of communicating and transferring data and/or controlinstructions via both cellular network and near field communicationscapability.

The portable consumer device 1140 may also include a processor 1146(e.g., a microprocessor) for processing the functions of the portableconsumer device 1140 and a display 1150 to allow a consumer to see phonenumbers and other information and messages. The portable consumer device1140 may further include input elements 1152 to allow a consumer toinput information into the device, a speaker 1154 to allow the consumerto hear voice communication, music, etc., and a microphone 1148 to allowthe consumer to transmit her voice through the portable consumer device1140. The portable consumer device 1140 may also include an antenna 1142for wireless data transfer (e.g., data transmission).

Portable consumer device 1140 may be used by a buyer to initiate pushpayments. In some implementations, portable consumer device 1140 caninclude an interface to allow the buyer to create a payment requestmessage. The portable consumer device 1140 can then send the paymentrequest message to a payment processing network using contactlesselement 1156 or over a wireless or wired communications channel.

Portable consumer device 1140 can include accelerometer(s) 1158.Multiple accelerometers can be oriented orthogonally or non-orthogonallyto each other.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary computer apparatus thatcan be used in some embodiments.

The subsystems shown in the figure are interconnected via a system bus1210. Additional subsystems such as a printer 1208, keyboard 1218, fixeddisk 1220 (or other memory comprising computer readable media), monitor1214, which is coupled to display adapter 1212, and others are shown.Peripherals and input/output (I/O) devices, which couple to I/Ocontroller 1202, can be connected to the computer system by any numberof means known in the art, such as through serial port 1216. Forexample, serial port 1216 or external interface 1222 can be used toconnect the computer apparatus to a wide area network such as theInternet, a mouse input device, or a scanner. The interconnection viasystem bus 1210 allows the central processor 1206 to communicate witheach subsystem and to control the execution of instructions from systemmemory 1204 or the fixed disk 1220, as well as the exchange ofinformation between subsystems. The system memory 1204 and/or the fixeddisk 1220 may embody a computer readable medium.

It should be understood that the present invention as described abovecan be implemented in the form of control logic using computer softwarein a modular or integrated manner. Based on the disclosure and teachingsprovided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art can know andappreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the present inventionusing hardware and a combination of hardware and software

Any of the software components or functions described in thisapplication, may be implemented as software code to be executed by aprocessor using any suitable computer language such as, for example,Java, C++ or Perl using, for example, conventional or object-orientedtechniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions,or commands on a computer readable medium, such as a random accessmemory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as ahard-drive or a floppy disk, or an optical medium such as a CDROM. Anysuch computer readable medium may reside on or within a singlecomputational apparatus, and may be present on or within differentcomputational apparatuses within a system or network.

The above description is illustrative and is not restrictive. Manyvariations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in theart upon review of the disclosure. The scope of the invention should,therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description,but instead should be determined with reference to the pending claimsalong with their full scope or equivalents.

One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one ormore features of any other embodiment without departing from the scopeof the invention.

A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary. A recitation of “she” ismeant to be gender neutral, and may be read as “he” or “she”, unlessspecifically indicated to the contrary.

All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptionsmentioned above are herein incorporated by reference in their entiretyfor all purposes. None is admitted to be prior art.

1. A method comprising: receiving a first pointer location on a fixeddisplay from a first mobile device; receiving a second pointer locationon the fixed display from a second mobile device; displayingsimultaneously a first cursor at the first pointer location and a secondcursor at the second pointer location; receiving a selection indicatorfrom the first mobile device; and recording a selection based on theselection indicator and the first pointer location, thereby allowingfuture analysis of a user's selection on the fixed display.
 2. Themethod of claim 1 further comprising: sending information to the firstmobile device based on the selection indicator and the first pointerlocation.
 3. The method of claim 2 wherein the information comprises anadvertisement or coupon.
 4. The method of claim 2 wherein theinformation comprises a location for a product in a store.
 5. The methodof claim 2 wherein the information comprises a map of a store.
 6. Themethod of claim 2 further comprising: determining a telephone numberassociated with the first mobile device; and sending the information tothe mobile device via the telephone number.
 7. The method of claim 6wherein the information is sent in a short message service (SMS)message.
 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the information is sent in amultimedia messaging service (MMS) message.
 9. The method of claim 1further comprising: receiving a second selection indicator from thesecond mobile device; and recording a second selection based on thesecond selection indicator and the second pointer location, therebyallowing a second user's selection on the fixed display nearlysimultaneously to another user's selection.
 10. The method of claim 1further comprising: receiving a list of products from the first mobiledevice with the selection indicator; looking up in a databaseinformation about each product in the list of products; and sending tothe first mobile device information about each product in the list ofproducts.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising: updating thefixed display based on the received selection indicator.
 12. The methodof claim 1 wherein the first mobile device comprises a smart phone. 13.The method of claim 1 wherein: the fixed display comprises multiple bumpareas; and the first pointer location is associated with an area bumpedby the mobile device to initiate the selection indicator.
 14. The methodof claim 1 wherein the received selection indicator from the firstmobile device indicates a bump sensed by an accelerometer coupled to thefirst mobile device.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein a bump intensityis associated with the selection indicator and recorded therewith. 16.The method of claim 1 wherein a multiple bump pattern is associated withthe selection indicator and recorded therewith.
 17. The method of claim1 wherein a bump direction is associated with the selection indicatorand recorded therewith.
 18. A method comprising: calibrating a positionand orientation of a mobile device with respect to a fixed display usinga bump between the mobile device and fixed display; determining adirection with respect to the fixed display at which the mobile devicepoints; sending the direction to the fixed display; sending a selectionindicator to the fixed display; and receiving information from thedisplay in response to the sending of the selection indicator.
 19. Ashared-cursor display apparatus simultaneously controllable by multiplemobile devices, the apparatus comprising: a fixed display; a receiverconfigured to receive position and orientation data from multiple mobiledevices; and a processor coupled with the receiver and display, theprocessor configured to determine from the position and orientation dataa first pointer location corresponding to a first mobile device and asecond pointer location corresponding to a second mobile device on thefixed display, wherein the display is configured to simultaneouslydisplay a first cursor at the first pointer location and a second cursorat the second pointer location.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein: thefixed display comprises multiple bump areas; and the first pointerlocation is calibrated using a bump between the mobile device and one ofthe multiple bump areas of the fixed display.